What to Wear to a Wedding

November 19, 2012

I haven’t been to many weddings. I know some people who go to weddings practically every weekend, but not me! However, I went to one of my best friends’ wedding this weekend and had so much fun. I was really looking forward to the wedding, but panicked about what to wear!

What do you wear to a wedding?

It’s one of those things that I think everyone struggles with– at least I hope it’s not just me!) You want to look cute, you have to be able to transition the dress from the ceremony to the reception, you have to be able to walk (and dance) comfortably… and you have to be conscientious of the weather.

I ended up getting an Alice & Olivia dress at Bloomingdales. It was the first dress that I tried on during a long afternoon of shopping. I really loved it from the beginning and kept comparing every other dress to it.

It was definitely a dress out of my comfort zone. I usually go for the same types of dresses, but I figured that if I was going to buy a new dress, I should buy something that I didn’t already have twenty five of. It was a little bit tight (eep, a lot tight), but I liked the sleeves, color, and especially the length. Any shorter and the dress would have definitely been a different kind of dress.

Because the back was a little bit, um… open, I wore a plain black sweater over for the wedding ceremony in the church. And the shoes I bought a couple of hours before the actual wedding. I was going to wear black pumps, but ended up (finally) listening to my mom and opting for nude pumps instead. Moms really are right…

A couple of things I realized:

If you’re going to bring a handbag, bring a super small one.

If you’re going to wear uncomfortable heels and plan on dancing and have issues about going barefoot on a dance floor (…..), bring rollup flats.

If you’re someone who gets hot easily or cold easily, remember this when you buy your dress. I’m always freezing. Always. The sleeves on my dress were perfect! Some of my friends get really warm and went with sleeveless dresses made out of material that doesn’t show sweat. Sweaters (for “chilly” fall nights in Florida) or coats (in colder areas) can just be coat-checked!

I do not dance at parties or anything. Typically. I never danced in middle school. I absolutely did not dance at any high school homecomings or proms. However, I danced (omg!) a ton at Susanna’s wedding. It was seriously so much fun!! But, my feet were seriously killing me by the end of the night. Most of the girls had ditched their shoes and went barefoot. I couldn’t really think about walking barefoot. Nope, not for me. But I was so jealous of the girls who were smart enough (or at least wedding-experienced enough) to bring a spare pair of fold-away flats. Brilliance.

Weddings are so much fun. While I am definitely years– if not decades– away from getting married, I am selfishly waiting for my next friend to tie the knot!

Forgive me if this is a double post, I tried to post via my iPhone earlier but it wasn't working well for me. I love all of your style guides and ideas! I don't know if you read your comments but I would like to make a request if I could. I'm sure it's not just me who is a plus-sized fan! While unfortunately this limits us away from Lilly dresses and the like, I'd still like to see a style icon who is of a curvaceous persuasion! I know it doesn't much pertain to you, but for the sake of your fans (who surely come in all sizes) a preppy and curvy icon would be great to see!

You looked AMAZING! I am in need of a dress with similar coverage and think this may be perfect. However, at 40 years old, and 3 kids, going without proper underclothing is not an option. Were you able to wear a criss cross bra with this or did it have anything built into it?

Yes I am obsessed with your outfit. I saw your Instagram of it and wished I had an outfit like that to wear somewhere, even if it's just around the house! Stepping out of your comfort zone definitely worked in your favor 🙂

Your dress looks so great on you and your mother was right, the nude pumps were a great choice. I haven't gone to a lot of weddings in my 20's but the last one I attended I wore a Lauren Conrad' dress with nude pumps. It was super hot in the church thankfully my dress help keep my cool 🙂

glad you had such a great time-the dress is gorgeous and looks fantastic on you! I grew up going to a lot of family member's weddings but haven't been to any friends yet…that should be such a fun experience!

I love weddings an embarrassing amount, so I'll totally join you in the "selfishly hoping more friends get married" club. You look stunning. Your mom definitely made the right call on going with the nude pumps.